Modem communication systems have dramatically increased the avenues for people to communicate with other people. These communication systems, including telephones, e-mail, and text chat, provide rapid interaction and can improve efficiency when the person being contacted is not too busy to participate in a conversation.
The increase in types of communication has, in many cases, also increased the busyness of users. It is not uncommon for the average office worker to be actively text chatting in several windows, have a stack of unread e-mails awaiting responses, and still need to accomplish actual work.
When the person being contacted is busy, requests to initiate a conversation can be an unwelcome distraction. These requests may be ignored by the busy user, leaving the requester uncertain as to why the user is not responsive, and whether a response may be forthcoming.